SEND rugby champions honoured at Buckingham Palace Garden Party
Two rugby volunteers were recognised for their hard work and dedication to SEND rugby with an invitation to Buckingham Palace for an Education and Skills Garden Party.
Emma Smith, Team Manager of the Old Leamingtonians Hornets, and Darren Rea, Co-Chair of Diversity, Inclusion and Equality at Oxfordshire RFU, were invited in recognition of their outstanding contributions to SEND rugby.
Emma was one of the pioneers behind the Old Leamingtonians Hornets after being inspired by her work with young people with disabilities.
She was named one of the RFU Honda Volunteer of the Year national finalists in 2022.
She said: “My son had played rugby before, so I knew how strong the rugby community was. I felt there was a lack of opportunities for young people and adults with disabilities to access rugby in clubs.
“I was really passionate about the work I was doing, and I knew the joy of rugby and the rugby community, and I wanted to bring the two together.
“So, I approached my son’s club, Old Leamingtonians, who really open to the opportunity, and we went from there!”
The Hornets were established in 2017, training weekly and playing in tournaments alongside other SEND rugby teams, including the Gosford Wolves – founded by fellow garden party guest Darren Rea.
As well as coaching the Wolves, Darren delivers disability awareness and inclusion training for sports clubs and was instrumental in setting up the inclusive rugby festival KatieFest.
He was also named one of the RFU Honda Volunteer of the Year national finalists in 2024.
Darren said: “We want to give everybody the same opportunities, and it’s a goal of mine to make sure that SEND rugby teams have the same playing opportunities as every other age grade.”
“We now have five clubs in Oxfordshire offering SEND provision – all identifying as Wolves – growing a wonderful community of coaches, players and parents.”
Both Emma and Darren were initially shocked to receive their Palace invitations, each suspecting it might be a scam.
While the pair didn’t know the other would be attending, they were delighted to bump into each other in the gardens of Buckingham Palace.
The party, hosted by King Charles II and Queen Camilla, brought together around 7,000 guests from education and skills-related fields.
Reflecting on the event, Darren said: “It was a really humbling and astounding experience. My wife and I stood in the queue with all these people at the front gate at Buckingham Palace and thought ‘What is going on!’
“Walking into the gardens to a fanfare of brass bands was really special and sense of occasion was amazing.”
Emma added: “I really enjoyed the day. It’s very rare to be the company of 7,000 people who were all smiling and happy. It was really special.”
The recognition of Emma and Darren’s dedication at such a prestigious event shows the importance of inclusive opportunities within grassroots rugby.
